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COVID-19 In Pennsylvania: Secretary Of Health Dr. Rachel Levine Testifies In Front Of Congress About Vaccine Shipment

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

WASHINGTON (KDKA) -- Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine testified in front of Congress about the coronavirus vaccine.

Dr. Levine testified Thursday in front of the Senate Commerce Committee on "The Logistics of Transporting a COVID-19 Vaccine." Levine is the president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers.

"The introduction of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines will be a critical tool to combat the rampant viral spread in the United States," Dr. Levine said in her testimony, according to a release from the state. "However, distributing the COVID-19 vaccine along with administrating it is a herculean effort."

In her testimony, Dr. Levine emphasized the importance of mitigation efforts and detailed the troubles surrounding the transportation and storage of the coronavirus vaccine.

"The logistics of the vaccine distribution are complicated and the degree of coordination among federal, state, and local levels of government required for this enormous undertaking is unprecedented," Dr. Levine said in her testimony. "The direction and pace of each state's vaccine distribution plan is determined by the individual jurisdiction characteristics, vaccine type, amount and availability. Transport of COVID-19 vaccines to the states will be the sole responsibility of Operation Warp Speed and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in partnership with federal, state, local, tribal and territorial health departments.

"While we, along with public health officials throughout the country, spent countless hours preparing, this mission is fraught with significant challenges that go well beyond just transporting the vaccine from point a to point b. The challenges to this effort include sufficient funding to rapidly execute a timely, comprehensive, and equitable vaccination campaign; coordination and communication between federal, state, and local health agencies; minimal state or local governmental public health pre-decisional involvement in key policy decisions such as the use of private sector pharmacy providers, including chain pharmacies, by the federal government to administer vaccines, all confounded by the lack of a coordinated communication strategy to promote confidence in the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines."

Pennsylvania's vaccine distribution plan will first target those at most risk and frontline workers.

You can read Dr. Levine's full testimony here.

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